The Storygraph vs Goodreads: Why you should make the switch

Sold to Amazon in 2013, Goodreads has an estimated 150 million users. In comparison, The StoryGraph has just 3.8 million. But in my opinion, it’s the far-superior platform. On an ethical level, Goodreads’ ownership by Amazon can be concerning, but the truly frightening thing is the god-awful interface you’re immediately affronted with upon opening the website.

With the intent of providing full disclosure, I should here disclaim that I have been volunteering for The StoryGraph since June 2024. However, views expressed are entirely my own and based off my experience as a user of the app and website, not a volunteer behind-the-scenes.

Founder and CEO Nadia Odunayo is sole developer of the site and originally intended for it to act alongside Goodreads. It has since become a keen competitor, with one USP being its AI recommendations. Chief AI Officer and Co-founder Rob Frelow “specialises in maintaining enterprise-level software deployments and manages all of StoryGraph’s infrastructure”. The StoryGraph’s use of AI has been heavily criticised in certain corners of the internet, with many distressed at the lack of transparency on the environmental impact of its AI, as well as questioning the point of replicating curated booksellers’ recommendations with less-accurate AI versions for these platforms. As someone who gets 100% of my book recommendations directly from Jack Edwards’ YouTube channel, this isn’t a feature I use, but one user says “it tells me that a book might not be for me based on the things I’ve said I don’t like”, so I guess it can do what it says on the tin.

For those looking to make conscious decisions about the products they consume, ethical considerations also consider brand ownership

For those looking to make conscious decisions about the products they consume, ethical considerations also consider brand ownership. While Goodreads is under the ownership of multi-trillion-dollar company Amazon, world-renowned for its “shameless tax avoidance, workers’ rights abuses, [and] environmental impacts”, The StoryGraph is a small-scale, woman and black-owned business. Using Goodreads violates the long-running Ethical Consumer boycott of Amazon while The StoryGraph is “just not owned by Amazon”. Of course, simply not using either platform is always an option (and in this case the most environmentally-conscious).

But for avid and unwavering Goodreads users, if unethical ownership isn’t a convincing enough reason to make the switch, outdated digital aesthetics should be. The StoryGraph is just objectively (incredibly subjectively) way nicer to look at. Goodreads looks like it should be featuring on r/nostalgia alongside the old Facebook interface. Am I being biased? Perhaps. Am I right? Always. And it’s not just me who thinks this. Blogger Books with Bunny wrote in December 2024: “Goodreads feels outdated. Its interface looks clunky, and the features are limited”.

The StoryGraph has all your favourite Goodreads features, and more

The StoryGraph has all your favourite Goodreads features, and more. The StoryGraph motto “Because life’s too short for a book you’re not in the mood for” encapsulates the main purpose of their app: categorising books by ‘mood’ and allowing you to order your to-be-read list (TBR) based on this.

Digitally tracking progress means you can be constantly reminded that the book you’ve been reading for three months is actually still only 40% of the way through (looking at you, Dune). The new feature of ‘Paused Books’ means that when you pick up a book for your course, read half (two pages), and then shelve it until closer to the assignment, you don’t have to commit to the DNF (not a personal example). Unlike Goodreads, The StoryGraph also has the option to rate with quarter stars.

Social features include the ability to connect with friends, start ‘buddy reads’, and add live reactions like on Wattpad, which personally I’ve never even heard of. While The StoryGraph already has numerous social features and plans to add more (book clubs), Odunayo is keen to stop just anyone from commenting on other users’ reviews. Without this (or direct messages), The StoryGraph is making active efforts to prevent some of the problems that have befallen Goodreads in the past, namely harassment.

Many users’ favourite features are the graphs. Books read, pages read, audiobooks minutes listened, which moods you’ve preferred, at what pace, in what format, what you’ve ranked highest and lowest; the list goes on and is available constantly: per month, year, all-time, or as part of an end of year ‘Wrap-Up’. In 2024, I apparently “engaged in introspective musings, traversed landscapes of the heart, and explored the shadows of the human psyche” – and that was just Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch.

The StoryGraph are aware that a large amount of their sign-ups come directly from their arch-rivals (my words, not theirs), and have thus employed a super handy ‘Import from Goodreads’ feature: “We will import all of your currently-reading, read, to-read, and did-not-finish shelves. Any custom shelves will be mapped to a custom tag on StoryGraph.” With that in mind, it’s never been easier to make the switch, something I’d highly recommend.